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“American Life in the Seventeenth Century”
Chapter 4 “American Life in the Seventeenth Century”
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The Unhealthy Chesapeake
Life in the Chesapeake Colonies was harsh. Disease took its toll – malaria, typhoid, and dysentery Life expectancy was low Few people lived to 40 or 50 years. Family values non-existent due to one parent families and lack of grandparents A third of all brides in one Maryland county were already pregnant before the wedding
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Tobacco Chesapeake soil and weather was perfect for tobacco cultivation Early on, most of the laborers were indentured servants Headright System – whomever paid the passage of indentured servants would receive land grants in new world. Indentured servants worked for 2-7 years after which they would receive their freedom
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Bacon’s Rebellion Large numbers of former indentured servants littered the Chesapeake colonies No job, money or women Most wandered in western frontier lands Western settlers upset because of Indian attack Appealed to Governor Berkley for military help In 1676, Nathaniel Bacon led a few thousand of these men in a rebellion against the hostile conditions. Bacon’s men murderously attacked Indian settlements after Berkeley refused to retaliate for a series of savage Indian attacks on the frontier. Bacon suddenly died of malaria and Berkeley rounded up his followers and hanged 23 with no trial by jury
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Colonial Slavery In the 300 years following Columbus’ discovery of America, only about 400,000 of a total of 10 million African slaves were brought over to the United States. Most went to South America or the West Indies During 1600s few slaves in North America due to cost but after 1700 this changed Middle Passage – route that slaves took from Africa to America Slave revolts were few and far between Generally slaves were a manageable group.
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Middle Passage © All rights reserved. Presented by the North Carolina Office of Archives & History, in association with the University of North Carolina Press.
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The slave ship Brookes. Repro ID F0872
Middle Passage "Africans on Board the Slave Bark Wildfire, April 30, 1860." From Harper's Weekly, June 2, Copyprint The slave ship Brookes. Repro ID F0872
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Hierarchy in the South Virginia Aristocracy Small farmers
Had many slaves Huge plantations Close contact with England Small farmers Largest social group 1-2 slaves Landless whites Former indentured servants Slave and indentured servants
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New England Colonies Marked by clean air, clean water and very little disease. Life expectancy was years more than Chesapeake colonies Family was the center of life in New England. Large families Most immigrated for religious reasons. High moral values due to close knit families Grandparents common because of long life expectancy In the South, women usually had more power, since the Southern men typically died young and women could inherit the money, but in New England, the opposite was true. Education important (Puritan model of education) Democracy important – town meeting was a model of democracy
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New England ©1999 Michael Levin
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Harvard Harvard College, about Indicative of the favored economic circumstances of the signers, about half of them enjoyed a higher education. Eight, including all five from Massachusetts, attended Harvard. (Engraving, ca , by William Burgis, Library of Congress.) Harvard College today Copyright © 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Life in the New England Towns
Life in New England was organized. Town usually had a meetinghouse surrounded by houses and a village green. Towns of more than 50 families had to provide primary education. Towns of more than 100 had to provide secondary education.
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One Room School House
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Religion in New England
New England was originally settled for religious purposes but time lessened religious zeal. In hopes of bringing in more money for the church Puritans allowed more people to become members. Half-Way Covenant - All people could become members, whether or not they were “chosen” or converted. Religious Zeal was lessened Puritan church with pulpit, pews, and, significantly, no altar. Old Ship Meeting House, Hingham, Mass., built in Library of Congress
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Salem Witch Trials A group of adolescent girls in Salem claimed to have been bewitched by upper class women “Witch hunt” ensued 19 women were hanged, one was pressed to death Mass hysteria due to fear of loss of religious piety Shows the widening socio-religious stratification in Massachusetts.
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Salem Witch Trials The June 10, 1692 hanging of Bridget Bishop
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The New England Way of Life
Due to lack of farming New England was less ethnically mixed than middle or Chesapeake colonies. Extreme weather Rivers were fast-moving and were not navigable contributing to their isolation from England. Fishing, trading and ship building became their main occupations
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The New England Colonist
Stern Stubborn Self-reliant Resourceful Purposeful Energetic
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Colonial Recap Southern Colonies Middle Colonies Northern Colonies
Virginia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Middle Colonies New York New Jersey Delaware Pennsylvania Northern Colonies Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New Hampshire
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13 Colonies This map shows the 13 British colonies in North America as they existed on the eve of the American Revolution ( ). After winning independence from Britain, the colonies made up the first 13 states of the newly formed United States of America. © Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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